RD: Only the Good...
Overview The final episode of Series VIII, it involves the Boys from the Dwarf escaping prison only to find out that the ship is being destroyed by a corrosive micro-organism brought over via escape pod from the SS Hermes. With the rest of the crew leaving and Lister, Rimmer, Kryten, Cat, and Kochanski left to die, they enter a mirror universe in the hope of finding an antidote and saving the ship. Summary The episode begins with a few lines of text explaining that the starship Hermes has been destroyed by a synthetic, highly corrosive micro-organism. An escape pod from the ship carries a lone survivor, Talia Garrett (Heidi Monsen). The pod and the woman are picked up by Red Dwarf, but is also revealed that the microbe has also been brought on board when part of the empty escape pod dissolves away. Now some time into their prison sentence, the Dwarfers have been put on probation for good behaviour. Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie) is attending to Captain Frank Hollister (Mac McDonald) as he recovers from Yellow Fever. Hollister notices that Rimmer has tried to slip in a form pardoning him from all crimes. Rimmer explains his ambition to become an officer someday, perhaps even a Captain. Hollister tells him he is not officer material and dismisses him as Talia enters. It seems that the Captain and Talia know each other from the past. Rimmer, disgusted at the Captain's success with woman and his own failure, leaves. In the corridor he attempts to steal some chocolate from the vending machine (Tony Slattery), only for the AI of the machine to berate him. Meanwhile, back in The Tank, Kryten (Robert Llewellyn) tells Dave Lister (Craig Charles) that he is changing Miss Kochanski's (Chloë Annett) calendar, as she had earlier complained to him that it was "The wrong time of the month". Lister realises what is going on and instructs Kryten secretly on how to behave. Kochanski returns to her cell and discovers Kryten has attempted to celebrate her menstruation with a banner that reads 'Have A Fantastic Period'. Later, in Lister and Rimmer's cell, they discover that Kryten has hidden Baxter's (Ricky Grover) illegal moonshine in their cell, just before Holly (Norman Lovett) informs them of a cell inspection. With the water tank full they have no choice but to drink the hooch. When Baxter finds out, believing his hooch was stolen by Rimmer and Lister, he threatens to finish off the two, now in sickbay, sleeping off the stomach pump. The two decide they need to escape. Kryten and Kochanski pretend to be ill to land in sickbay, while the Cat (Danny John-Jules) disguises himself as a nurse. As the Dwarfers escape they find that the microbe from the Hermes is now eating away at Red Dwarf. Kryten and Kochanski devise a plan which involves entering a mirror universe where everything is opposite; negative becomes positive and a virus becomes an antidote. Kryten builds a prism laser and directs it at a mirror to create a dimensional gateway. Rimmer crosses over, only for the prism to break and trap him in the mirror universe. He realises he is not a failure in this universe but is instead Captain, and berates the alternative Hollister, now a Second Technician, for being useless. When Talia comes in, Rimmer, thinking she is his lover, snogs her, only to be told she is his spiritual advisor. Rimmer quickly goes to the science lab to talk to the professor, the alternative Cat, and gets the antidote (Cesiumfranciolithicmyxialobidiumrixydixydoxidrexidroxhide). When Rimmer returns to his universe he finds the other Dwarfers have repaired the prism and followed him into the mirror universe. By now Red Dwarf is a flaming inferno and falling apart. Rimmer tries to return to the mirror universe, but the microbe has eaten away the laser. He tries to create the antidote, but the dispensing machine reveals that the formula from the mirror universe is now the formula for the virus, having reverted into its mirror opposite. After exchanging insults, the machine sends a can flying towards Rimmer, knocking him unconscious. The episode ends with the Grim Reaper, played by series director Ed Bye, coming to claim Rimmer as Adagio for Strings plays in the background. Rimmer kicks Death in the crotch and runs off down the flaming corridor, claiming that "only the good die young" as Death winces "That's never happened before..." The episode ends with an ominous "The End" caption, but is soon refuted with its sudden erasure and replacement with "THE SMEG IT IS". Notes * For many years this was thought to be the last episode of Red Dwarf, as no further series were commissioned (although there were recurring reports of a motion picture version being planned). However, in 2009 a three part mini-series was produced and broadcast by Dave called Back to Earth. It is set nine years after this episode, and can be assumed as the answer to its cliffhanger. The mini-series is considered Series IX, and Series X was later announced for production in late 2011 and began broadcast in October 2012. * This episode received viewing figures of over 8 million. * Norman Lovett appears as Holly for the last time (to date), as the character is not featured in Back to Earth or Series X. This also marks the final appearance of Chloe Annett as a regular cast member and of her version of Kochanski (she next appears in a cameo in Back to Earth as a vision of Kochanski and the actress does not appear in Series X, although her character is frequently mentioned). The living version of Rimmer introduced at the start of Series VIII also makes his final appearance as he once again appears to as a hologram by the time of Back to Earth. * The episode leaves it unclear as to whether or not it actually takes place 12 months after the events of "Pete Part 2", though the fact Rimmer is now on probation suggests he and Lister must be in the latter stages of their sentence. * Kryten's confusion over Kochanski's "time of the month" at this late stage is odd given the fact he's travelled with Kochanski and shared quarters with her for a long time - and this is the first time he's encountered a period? Noteworthy Dialogue Dispensing Machine: ALERT! ALERT! A chocky nut bar has been removed! Repeat, a chocky nut bar has been removed without payment !!! ALERT! ALERT! Rimmer: Shut up!! Dispensing Machine: Shan't! ALERT! ALERT! Rimmer: Shut up, you mechanical git! Dispensing Machine: Take your hand off me speaker! Rimmer: Promise to shut up? Dispensing Machine: Promise (Rimmer removes his hand) Dispensing Machine: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!! I had me circuits crossed! ALERT! ALERT! (after Rimmer went to the Mirror Universe, the machine generating the portal shorts out and the portal closes) Kryten: It's overloaded, we've lost Mr Rimmer. Cat: At last, things are looking up! Rimmer: Can you tell me what this is? (The Alterative Cat sniffs the test tube Rimmer has given him) Alternative Cat: It's an alkali Rimmer: Yes but can you tell me what it's called? Alternative Cat: Cesiumfranciolithicmyxialobidiumrixydixydoxidrexidroxhide (Rimmer stares at the Alternative Cat) Alternative Cat: Something wrong? Rimmer: I'm sorry it's just I'd never thought I'd hear you say that. Grim Reaper: Arnold Judas Rimmer, your life is over, come with me. (Death helps Rimmer to his feet) Grim Reaper: You will travel to the river styx, where you will place a coin... Rimmer: Not today matey. (Rimmer delivers a swift kick to Death's groin) Rimmer: Remember, only the good die young. Grim Reaper (laboured): That has never happened before... Background Information This episode had a notorious production, having gone through numerous re-writes and re-shoots. The original climax, titled "Earth" was to have the Red Dwarf crew arrive back to Earth only for the ship to accidentally trash through the world's major landmarks. This was deemed too expensive to film, so a different finale was written altogether. One proposed ending was to feature Arnold Rimmer's dashing and heroic alter-ego Ace Rimmer returning to save the day (in reality, the "original" Arnold Rimmer). However this ending was not filmed. This, too, was changed at the last moment and the character of Death itself was introduced. The conclusion of this episode was a cliffhanger although the ending of this last episode is open to interpretation. The decision to focus on Rimmer exclusively in the show's final minutes results in Lister, Kochanski, Cat and Kryten not having any sort of farewell scene, despite Lister being the central character in the entre series. Chloe Annett and Danny John-Jules' final on-screen appearances are as mirror universe versions of their characters, while Craig Charles and Robert Llewellyn are last seen in the brief sequence in which the prism projector breaks down. Tony Slattery - who had played an android in the soap of the same name featured ten years previously in Kryten - took on Rimmer as the voice of the vending machine, sitting behind the unit and speaking his lines live on set. Other guest stars included Mac McDonald as Captain Hollister, Graham McTavish as Governor Ackerman, Heidi Monsen as Talia, Ricky Grover as Baxter, David Verrey as Big Meat and Ed Bye (Uncredited) as The Grim Reaper.. Alternate filmed ending An alternate ending where the Dwarfers clearly survive, and indeed even find themselves in a similar situation to the earlier series of Red Dwarf, was scripted and filmed but strangely cut at the last minute. However it is available for viewing on the series VIII DVD special features. In this version of the episode, the bumbling Arnold Rimmer successfully remembers the antidote to the microbe that is eating the ship. It takes him over two hours to memorise the name of the antidote, as he has to alternate between the mirror universe and back to read the name of the antidote (which becomes the chemical name of the microbe in our universe as the opposite of the antidote.) However Rimmer memorises the antidote just in time for Kryten to make up some of the chemical antidote up and use it to destroy the microbe, with irony included with everyone else already knowing its name. Red Dwarf having been saved from destruction, Rimmer takes up residence in the captain's quarters. Lister, Cat, and Kris party and celebrate at having survived, and due to the fact they are no longer imprisoned in The Tank and once again have free run of the vessel. Kryten resumes his ironing duties. Meanwhile, the rest of the Red Dwarf crew - Captain Frank Hollister and the rest of the flight officers - look on Red Dwarf helplessly from their fleet of Starbugs and Blue Midgets with which they escaped the disintegrating mothership. Kryten peeks through a porthole at the fleet and asks Rimmer if they should perhaps slow down Red Dwarf, so that the rest of the crew can dock in the hangar bay and come aboard. Rimmer, reminiscent of Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 (in accordance with his military fantasies), replies "Full speed ahead, Mr Kryten, I see no ships!" The alternative ending concludes with Rimmer paying the money he owes to the dispensing machine he stole from earlier. However, the machine still fires a can at Rimmer's head, knocking him unconscious. Guest Stars *Heidi Monsen as Talia Garrett *Tony Slattery as The Chocolate Dispenser *Ricky Grover as Baxter *Graham McTavish as Ackerman *David Verrey as Big Meat. References Rimmer's solution to Death is reminscent of one of Lister's lines from Future Echoes * ''Lister: I'm going out like I came in -- screaming and kicking.'' Rimmer: You can't whack death on the head! Lister: If he comes near me I'm gonna rip his nipples off!!! * 1999 - 2009 bridge Category:Series VIII Episodes Category:Episodes